Hurt
by TwoTails
Summary: NOW COMPLETE! Sequel to Tag. Kakashi is gone on a mission for seven days, leaving Anko lonely and questioning their friends with benefits arrangement. Will he come back to her and if so, what will it do to her? 4th in the Friends series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi everyone! This is the 4th installment of the Anko/Kakashi story I've cooked up. If you haven't already, please read (in this order) "Friends," "Benefits," and "Tag," as there are references to these three in this story. The cat and mouse game continues but with a bit more emotional involvement. Now, with the customary statement, "I don't own Naruto," let's begin. Enjoy!

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Anko woke up and stared out her bedroom window, like she did just about every morning she woke up at home. It had been five days since Kakashi had left on his last mission. "Two more days," she said to no one in particular. She sighed. She never thought she'd feel as alone as she did since he'd been gone. She figured it would be no big deal when he left. They were friends who got along well and shared "benefits" with each other. They had a lot of fun together – a LOT of fun. But to her surprise it became a big deal after three days of him not being around. Everything had been so electric between the two of them. The way they had been carrying on had been some of the funnest and most exciting times of her life! They'd had amazing unbelievably incredibly spontaneous sexual escapades for three days. But it was only for three days. They were just two friends blowing off energy and frustration with each other over a very short period of just three days. But that was before he left. They were friends, that's all. Then why did she feel so empty and alone?

She never thought she'd actually miss him like she did. She figured she might, just a little, especially since he'd bought her new underwear. She was sure he wanted her to try them on for him, just to let him tear them off her. She REALLY missed that part. The spontaneous way they just combusted when they were around each other. It was sudden and hot and like a flash point when they were together. It was fucking brilliant and she missed him more the more she thought about it and him. She thought she'd just miss the sex, but instead, she found she'd started missing "him."

Anko knew it wasn't good to think this way. They were friends. They had fun together, and anything more than that would just complicate things. No, what they had was good – great even. Then why did she feel so lonely without him around? She let out a big breath again and turned on her back. She looked at the ceiling. There was a very distinct crack running across it. She hadn't noticed it before. She'd never looked that closely at the ceiling. Even though she and Kakashi had spent hours together in her bed the day before he left, not once had she noticed that crack. _Whatever,_ she though, _it's a crack in the ceiling and my total source of entertainment in this bedroom for now. _Then she breathed out, completely exasperated, "Two more days."

She'd make it, a bit distracted, but she'd make it. She couldn't let on that she was in a bit of a funk. If she did, people would ask questions at work, and she did NOT want to have to explain that her mood was caused by Kakashi being gone. No fucking way. This was their quiet (sometimes not), private, dirty little secret and it was nobody's business but their own.

Only two more days. Two long days with nothing, or more likely, no one to look forward to. Two more days of not worrying if Kakashi would jump out of somewhere unexpectedly and take her forcibly in a public place. Two more days of not being concerned that he might stealthily grope her in public. Two more days of quiet peace. Two more long days by herself. God she missed him and all his fun.

She rolled off her bed and said to herself, "I can't keep doing this. It's like I'm obsessing over the man. I've got to distract myself. I'd better get ready for work." She went into her bathroom and prepared to take a quick shower. Then she looked at her tub. She'd never been a bath person – they took too long, and showers were so much quicker and easier. Kakashi liked baths, and upon his suggestion of taking one after a night of passion with her, she'd tried them more often and found she did like them. Her muscles loved it; sitting in hot water was soothing to her body and her mind as well. The more she took baths, the more she liked them. "I wonder if Kakashi would like to take a bath together some time . . ." and her mind went right back to him again. She shook her head, trying to dislodge his image from her mind. He wasn't there with her, but he seemed to be all she could think about. She turned from her tub and flipped on her shower thinking, _this is not good_.

After her shower, Anko dried off. She looked at her neck. All the "marks" Kakashi had left on her were gone now. They had faded like happy memories that had lost their importance over time. She had no more physical reminders on her body of the explosive passion she'd shared with him. It was a good thing – she didn't have to hide behind scarves and jackets anymore, but she knew she'd happily hide again, if he marked her up again.

She reached for her undergarments, and sighed. She picked up her new underwear, the ones Kakashi had sent her before he left. "Tuesday" was sewn into the underwear, as were all the other days of the week sewn into the others. Funny how the Friday pants were a bit more suggestive than the rest, what with their black lace trim and partly see through material, not to mention their Velcro sides.

"I can't believe the guy bought me underwear," she said out loud. But it was only because for the three days they'd been together, he'd torn three pair from her. That was fine! They had been lost in the moment and it just happened, and he loved to do it. She loved it when he did it. But the only bad thing was that he kept them! Because of his "sticky fingers," she was down a few pair, before he surprised her with the package of seven pair to replace the three he'd taken, as well as give her a few "spares" for the future. She thought to herself, _I wonder if this is going to be a regular thing – the whole "tear the undies off Anko before you fuck her" thing. I wonder . . ._

Then she wondered if he'd even care to get together with her again. It had been five days and would be two more yet. What if he tired of their fun and games? What if he didn't want to share any "benefits" with her anymore? What if he wanted to go back to just being friends, and not "_friends_." What if it's just done and over and time to move on? He did say that her place was the first place he'd go to as soon as he got home. Did he mean it? Would he really come to her first? Before his place even? Before reporting in? She told him before he left, "Don't even bathe, just come over as soon as you get back." The thought of him in the bath surfaced again. He'd said he'd be at her place as soon as he got back into town. She'd have to wait two more days to see if he really meant it or not.

She pulled up her "Tuesdays" and got dressed the rest of the way. As she left her apartment and started down the hall, she turned back, hoping to see Kakashi, wishing he'd come home early. She turned away disappointed because she knew he wouldn't be coming back early. Tsunade had ordered him out for seven days, and he'd be gone for seven days – those were the rules. If anything happened to keep him out there longer, he'd stay longer. Kakashi was very good at what he did in so many ways. She could attest to his many skills. Still, as she walked to work, she wished he'd jump out of a dark doorway and grab her and pull her in there with him and kiss her and . . . she shook her head again to clear it as the training academy came into view. It was time that she regained some focus. It was time to get to work, and let the thoughts of Kakashi alone for a while. Let her thoughts become as alone as she felt right then.

The Chunin exams were underway at the academy. Students had already endured the written tests that she, Ibiki and Genma had devised for them (and Kakashi had knocked over, while trying to disguise the fact that they'd been naked on the copier just moments before being discovered). Not too many candidates had passed the written test. It had been designed to test their memorization skills, and their abilities to retain information. It was important for a ninja to be able to travel without written information that could be taken and used against them if they happened to be captured. Therefore memorization and retention of information was key. A lot of candidates were sent back to the academy in hopes that they'd get better at that. Next up would be the physical exams, and at least Anko could find some distraction there. She was always looking for unusual jutsu that were uncommon among the leaf village ninjas. There were always a few surprises, and she looked forward to them. She'd then make her own mental notes on who she would recommend to advance to final rounds.

After an exhausting day at work, she went home, still distracted, but glad that the day was almost over. As tired as she was, she decided a bath would be in order. She stepped into the steamy water and immediately thought _only about a day and a half before he's back._ _I can wait, but I wish I didn't have to._ She soaked and thought about Kakashi, letting steaming thoughts swirl in the air amongst the steam from her bath. The two coalesced to make Anko one frustrated ninja.

She went to bed thinking that if she slept early, that she wouldn't be up all night thinking about him. She had responsibilities. She had to get some sleep to make sure the rest of the exams were executed properly. She had to be professional, and a tired ninja was not a professional one. So she decided to clear her mind. She stared at her ceiling and the crack running through it. _Hello crack, my only source of entertainment._ She traced it from one end to the next. Then she turned over quickly averting her eyes from it when she realized that it was reminding her of Kakashi's scar. _This is CRAZY! _She thought to herself. _Everything I do or see makes me think about HIM! He's only my friend! He's only my friend._ After mentally beating herself for thinking of Kakashi again, Anko looked at her clock and after a short time, she dozed off.

The next morning, Anko woke early, and decided to get to work as soon as she could. She figured that the earlier she distracted herself and kept busy, the faster the day would go. There was only one more day to wait until Kakashi was back and at her door. She started getting a bit excited when she realized that in about 24 hours, she'd have him back again. He'd be back in her apartment, her bathroom, her bed. He'd come back to her, and shower her again with the explosive passion that her body yearned for. Anko held back a small whimper as she thought of all the things she wanted him to do to her, or with her, or on her, it didn't matter, as long as he was back with her.

Then she stared to doubt herself again. _What if he's done with me? _Without bothering to linger on the doubting thought, she decided to let work occupy her mind.

The day did go by quickly. Anko kept herself busy. She tirelessly helped supervise the physical matches the remaining chunin applicants participated in. Still, the whole day, she kept rehashing the things that she and Kakashi had done in the three days they'd been together before he left. She found herself walking past the copy room, where he had quickly taken her on the copy machine before he left. She ate her lunch at the same table where he put his hand up her skirt, even though Gai and Iruka happened to be sitting across from her at the time. When she walked home later that evening, she passed the alley he'd ambushed her in, where she'd almost killed him, before they ended up having crazy sex while she was hanging from a fire escape. Finally, she wandered to the sake bar where she'd accidentally run into him that first night, where their innocent drink turned into something not so innocent at all. She even visited the stone slab where they let their lust overtake them that first night.

By the time she got home, she was exhausted, not only physically, but mentally. The thoughts of Kakashi that she'd brought back through her mind caused a pain in her that she physically felt. She didn't know if it was lust or longing, or what it was. She only knew that it hurt. It pulled at her, frustrated her, made her think about how Kakashi just being there, could probably make it all go away. She went to bed knowing that he'd be back the next day. She could wait a little longer.

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**A/N:** I'm teasing you. The game is coming.

Next up: Where's Kakashi? See you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here is the next chapter. Can you feel the anxiety growing? Enjoy!

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The next morning, Anko awoke and a big grin worked itself across her face even before her eyes were open. _Today. He's coming home today._ She stretched in bed, feeling her pajamas shift over every inch of her body. She was already aroused at the thought of Kakashi coming home, and her pajamas barely touching her skin seemed to make it all worse. But she'd wait. She'd wait for him to come back. Waiting would make it all the more explosive when he did come to her.

She started to get ready for work like she always did. Then Anko did something she rarely did, she put on a touch of make up. She decided she wanted to look a little extra nice when Kakashi got home _if he comes back to me_ she thought. The whole doubting thing came back again. There was no way she could tell when he'd be back home. It might be early; it might be late that night. There was no rule dictating exact times to be back. Seven days was seven days. That was when Kakashi's mission was complete. He'd be back when it was done. She desperately wanted him to come back to her like he said he would. She wanted her friend back, along with all his benefits. She went to work, waiting and watching for him.

While she worked, the small hurt inside her grew. It made her extremely anxious. She wondered where he was. He hadn't shown up at work yet, and he knew that she'd be there instead of at home during that time of the day. _Maybe he's just not back yet. Or maybe he is and he's avoiding me._ Anko again started to doubt. She began to think he was done with her. And her little hurt grew a little more.

She never saw him once at work. She wasn't really worried. He was Hatake Kakashi after all, son of Konoha's White Fang. He was a genius in so many ways. And he ALWAYS came home, sometimes not all in one piece, but he always made it back alive. She didn't worry about him being harmed; ninja just don't work that way. He'd be back. Wouldn't he?

The later it got, the more convinced Anko got that Kakashi had indeed decided that their beneficial friendship was over. The hurt she felt stabbed at her like a dull knife being moved slowly around her heart. _It's done. It was fun, but it's done. He's not coming back to me. He's probably home right now. If that's the way he wants it, I guess that's the way it'll be. Maybe I should give him back the unworn underwear. Then maybe he could get some money back or something._

She wandered around her apartment. It was late. She needed to sleep. Sleep would make her hurt a little less; at least she wouldn't feel it when she slept. She went to her door and looked out the peephole, hoping . . . nothing. No one there. No one was coming. She looked at her door and unlocked it saying, "Just in case . . ." and she turned and went to bed.

Anko went to sleep, waiting for Kakashi to open her unlocked door and wake her, and do unspeakable things to her. Instead, the only thing Kakashi did was not show up.

Anko woke the next morning and stared at the crack/scar in her ceiling and sighed, "I've been dumped. This sucks." She dragged herself out of bed and tried to accept the fact that Kakashi wasn't coming back to her. He'd made a decision about their friendship apparently without her consent. As she got ready for work, she asked herself, _why? What did I do wrong? Why didn't he come back like he said he would? He could have at least told me it was over, that we wouldn't be sharing "benefits" with each other anymore. I mean, come one – we weren't lovers, we weren't dating, we were friends! He doesn't want to be my friend anymore. I hate feeling like this._ Anko felt alone again, devastated, and alone. But she couldn't let the people at work see her like this. She screwed up her courage and put on a stern face and went to work. She wondered _what if I see him at work? The last time I saw him, was after we'd had sex over the copy machine. This is going to be super awkward. What the hell have I gotten myself into? _

She went to work trying to avoid everyone's eyes, and anyone who might ask her why she looked so depressed. She avoided her co-worker's gazes, knowing that they'd be able to see the hurt in her eyes that mirrored the hurt she felt inside her. They'd be able to see how alone she felt. She didn't want anyone to know. It was personal, and she decided to suffer by herself in silence. If she tried to talk to anybody about it, they'd just tell her she was stupid to have hooked up with Kakashi in the first place. And to think he'd actually do what he said, and really come back to her, she must have been an idiot to believe that one.

In the midst of her self-loathing, she passed the 5th Hokage's office and overheard part of a conversation, ". . . he's not back yet. When he gets back, I'll get the report on that from him and we'll plan our next move. We'll probably have to get Anbu involved. Probably Anko too since she experienced the same kind of resistance. We'll give him a few more days to get back and rest up before we . . ."

Realization stole over Anko's face. She whispered to herself, "He's not back yet. I guess that means I'm not dumped yet."

Genma walked by her and said, "What do you need to take to the dump?"

Anko snapped up her head and said, "Oh, hi. Nothing, I was just talking to myself. Haven't seen Kakashi yet have you? I wanted to see his mission notes."

Genma said, "No. He said we were going to have a few beers when he got back. Haven't seen him yet. Don't think he's back yet."

Inside Anko cheered! Outside she answered calmly, "Oh. Well if you see him, let him know I want to see his mission report."

"Sure. See ya Anko."

"Yeah." Anko wanted to cartwheel down the hall. She was thrilled that he wasn't back yet. There may still be a chance after all! He may still come to her, but when? How much longer would she have to wait? Or would he come over at all? She decided it was best to stop guessing, and just get through the day, and the time it took before she saw him again.

Anko spent the rest of her day slightly preoccupied by the fact that Kakashi was probably on his way home somewhere. He'd be there sooner or later, but he'd be there. She left the academy and went home, got herself cleaned up a bit and after another quick look through her peephole, she went to bed. Her heart was a little lighter, the hurt was a little less, because she still held hope that he'd be there eventually.

Outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Kakashi clung to the shadows. He limped slightly, and held his right elbow in his left hand across his chest. He scanned the surroundings before entering the village gates. His head swam with exhaustion from too much fighting, and not enough sleep. Still he managed to put one foot in front of the other as he stole his way back into the village. One thought kept pushing him on, _got to get there. I promised._

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**A/N:** He's coming, but what the hell happened to him? Why was he late? Next chapter tells all. Review please!

Next up: Excitement, fear, pain, worry, and a little help from a friend. See you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello everone! Let's get this baby moving shall we? Try and actually FEEL the anxiety in this chapter. Feel the emotions as you're reading. See it in your head. It'll make it that much better. Enjoy!

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Anko slept hard when she slept. It was necessary for a ninja to get adequate sleep to perform efficiently. She barely heard the tapping at her door, she slept so deeply. But something managed to jostle her from her slumber. Something inside her spoke to her and told her she had to wake up, that it was important that she wake up. She stirred a bit, and listened. Then she heard it, a slight tapping at her door. _Kakashi?_ she instantly thought, becoming immediately wide awake. She heard more tapping and then a slight cough. _KAKASHI!_ She silently got up and ran to the door looking out the peephole to make sure it was him, and not some kind of trap. She saw nothing; she couldn't see anything at all. Whoever it was, was leaning against her door and covering her peephole, either by accident or on purpose. She didn't care about her own safety at that point, she opened her door and Kakashi fell immediately forward, sliding down the opened door. Anko caught him as he fell, causing her to fall with him.

"Oh dear God Kakashi! Look at you! You're a mess. I've got to get you to the hospital. Look at your arm. What happened to your shoulder! Come on, get up. I'll get you there right away,"

"Anko. Anko," Kakashi slurred a bit, but he was obviously not drunk.

"Come on Kakashi! We have to go now!"

"Anko. Wait a minute."

"We don't have a minute. Why didn't you just go to the hospital?"

"Because I told you I'd come here first. I promised. I," his head fell forward and he lost consciousness.

In that moment, Anko was terrified, yet relieved. They were still "friends" afterall. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

There was no way Anko could carry Kakashi the whole way to the hospital by herself. It was late, and she doubted she could get anyone to help her get him there. So instead of taking him there, she carefully got herself under his good arm, stood up with him, and dragged him to her bed. She put him down as gently as she could and slowly laid him back on her pillow. He was a mess. He was dirty, there was dried blood on parts of his arms and around his un-scared eye, and his pants were ripped in a few places below his knees, like they'd been put through a shredder. She didn't know what to do with him. Then she saw his arm. His right arm was in a strange position. As she looked up his arm and tried to move it slightly, she found that it wasn't his arm that was broken, but his shoulder had been wretched from its socket. He had to be in a great deal of pain, and his body had just shut him down rather than deal with it. She wanted to panic, she wanted to run and get him help, but she couldn't do that. Ninjas just don't do that – they don't freak under pressure. She kept it together and felt a whole new kind of hurt well up inside her. She didn't want to see him this way. She didn't expect to ever see him like this. Not in her bed at least. She didn't know what to do next.

Anko looked at him and decided that the only thing she could do was make him as comfortable as possible until morning. She carefully took off his forehead protector, which seemed to be more chipped and dented than she remembered. He fingers brushed his hair as they passed it. How she wanted to touch it properly, sensually, but now was not the time. She kept looking at his chest, checking to make sure he was still breathing. He was, so she continued. She began to remove his left glove. The ends of his fingers looked like they were missing fingerprints, and two were cracked with old blood in the cracks. One of his fingernails was partly gone. His hand wasn't broken, so she laid it gently aside and went around the other side of the bed to carefully remove his right glove. She took extra care with this one since his right shoulder was at such an unusual angle. She didn't want to aggravate his injury. She got his glove off and his right hand pretty much matched his left – beaten but not broken.

She then unzipped his vest and tried to figure out a way to get it off him. But after going over in her mind about 20 different ways to position him to get it off him, all seemed impossible with his shoulder as badly injured as it was. She decided to leave it on him, but pulled it open wide so she could look at his chest. She pushed up his shirt and looked at the hard stomach and chest that she'd enjoyed and missed so much. There were bruises on his right side over his ribs, but overall, he seemed ok. No stab wounds, no active bleeding. His pants were another thing. She decided if she was going to get him to the hospital in the morning, she'd better leave his pants alone. She didn't want to have to try and explain why she was bringing in a pant less Hatake Kakashi, gravely injured, to the hospital. Instead, she decided to look for blood patches on his pants that would indicate any serious injuries. First she felt along his legs, squeezing slightly from thigh to ankle, looking for something that might be broken. Both legs were intact, and after she lifted each to look for bleeding, she was satisfied that his legs were ok. His left ankle seemed to sit at a weird angle, but it too wasn't broken – probably sprained. She needed to get him to a medical ninja who would be able to assess him properly. She was no medical nin and had relied on them countless times to heal her when she returned from particularly rough battles. They'd fix him up. He'd be fine. But he was unconscious now and in so much pain. What else could she do for him?

She went into her bathroom and grabbed a wash basin and filled it with warm water. She brought it and a soft cloth back to him and decided she could clean his exposed skin a bit and get rid of the dried blood. She said, "I know this isn't the bath you would prefer, but I don't want to move you, so this will have to do for now." She took his left hand and washed it, revealing some bruises on his knuckles, but no cuts. She turned his hand over and washed his palm and long tapered wondrous fingers that she suddenly had the urge to kiss. She steadied herself, and washed his right hand carefully, trying not to twist it or move it. She re-wet her cloth and pushed down his mask. _My God his face. He's a mass of bruises. What did they do to him?_ She washed his neck first, gently lifting his head to get the back part, and cleaned his ears. She re-wet her cloth again, and started to wipe the sweat, dirt and dried blood from his jaw line. She cleaned one side of his face and saw the old Kakashi beginning to emerge from the bruised and beaten and unconscious Kakashi. She continued to wash his face, noticing small nicks in places, but nothing serious. She cleaned his forehead, and pushed his hair almost straight up away from his face. She wanted to laugh for just a second at how comical he looked that way, but then she sobered herself and re-arranged his hair a little more the way he usually wore it. Lastly, she washed his eyelids, nose and finally his mouth. How alive his mouth still looked even though he was completely unconscious. She put her cloth down and couldn't stop herself from leaning down carefully, placing a hand on each of his cheeks, and ever so gently, touching her lips to his. She looked at his face and said quietly, "I'm so glad you're back. I missed you so." She choked back the tears that threatened to spill out of her and all over his face. It was then that Anko notice the hurt inside her intensified in her chest and throat.

She backed away from him and sat on the bed and looked at him. She said firmly, "Kakashi. Come on, wake up. You need to wake up for me. I've got to get you some help and I can't do this by myself. It's the middle of the night, and there's no one else I can get to help you. It's just you and me, and seriously, you need to wake up. I know you're tired. I know you have to be in a lot of pain. God, this sucks. COME ON KAKASHI! WAKE UP ALREADY! Wake up. Come on. Please wake up." And then the tears came anyway.

In the deep recesses of Kakashi's mind, he heard Anko yelling something at him. She sounded like she was shouting at him from the bottom of a well. _She wants me to wake up? I am awake! What's she talking about? She sounds worried. Why can't I see her? Oh shit. Not again. Is she crying?_ Then he felt guilty. _Anko, I'm so sorry to put you through this. It wasn't my intention to practically die on your doorstep. I just wanted to get back to you because . . . _and he slipped a little deeper into oblivion.

Anko shuddered. She wiped her eyes and looked back over at Kakashi. Crying wasn't helping a God damned thing. If he was in a coma, he could probably hear her. She was sure he wouldn't want her crying over him, he might think it was a sign of weakness. So Anko did the only other thing for him she could. She dimmed the lights, covered him up a bit and lay down next to him. She never took her eyes off him while he lay there. She watched his chest rise and fall, while the rest of him didn't move a fraction of an inch. She resisted the urge to snuggle up to him and throw her arm and probably a leg over him and hold him tightly to her. He was too injured for her to chance that. Instead, she carefully reached down and took his left hand and interlaced the fingers of her right hand with his, and covered both their hands with her left.

Kakashi stirred somewhere in his mind. He could feel his body and he knew he was pretty banged up. But something held him. Something warm was holding his left hand. He focused on that something warm . . .

Anko must have dozed off some time because she woke when she felt her right hand being crushed.

Anko's eyes flew open as Kakashi writhed on her bed. He saw she was awake and he gasped, "Sorry. Sorry. Wasn't trying to wake you. Didn't want to disturb you."

He dropped her hand as she sat up, "You're awake. Good. We've got to get to the hospital. It's almost dawn. I'm sure I could get you there,"

"Don't."

"What? Are you nuts? You need medical attention right now!"

"I know. Don't move me. Hurts too much."

"What am I going to do then?"

Kakashi paused, closed his eyes and breathed very purposefully. When he opened them he said, "Get Sakura."

Anko thought a mile a minute. What would Sakura say about Kakashi in the state he's in, and in her bed? Would she know? Would she tell anyone? Sakura can't know. But this was her sensei. He was requesting her, but still Anko doubted Sakura was the right choice. She said, "But she'll know. She'll tell everyone."

Kakashi breathed harshly and said, "She'll keep quiet because I'll tell her to. Get her. Hurry."

Anko didn't argue anymore. Instead, she put her jacket on over her pajamas and said, "Where?"

"Should be at home this early. She's probably getting ready for work. Go get her." Kakashi told Anko how to find Sakura's apartment.

Anko said, "Is there anything I can get for you? Anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Kakashi always the pervert said, "I could think of a few things, ow, but not right this second. When you come back maybe? After Sakura leaves?"

Anko smiled a bit relieved. She said, "Quit it. Like you could do anything in your state. Stay put, I'll go get her."

Kakashi's eyes squinted in pain. "Alright, just put my mask back on for me. Then get her. Hurry," was all he said to her as she quickly put his mask back in place, and then bolted out the door.

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**A/N:** And we're off. Actually Anko's off to find Sakura. Will she find her in time to help her friend? Review please!

Next up: Anko runs to get Sakura to help heal Kakashi, or at least get him stabilized. What will she have to do to him? Find out next chapter. See you soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hi again! Time to get Kakashi some help. Or will it hurt? Again, see it in your head as it's playing out. Try and feel the desperation. Enjoy!

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Anko raced through the pre-dawn streets of Konoha. Her mind raced along with her. She was tired, but adrenalin pushed her faster. It was like she was on the greatest mission of her life. She had to get help for her friend. She would not fail.

She arrived at Sakura's apartment where she noticed a light in a window. She pushed the button under Sakura's name and waited. She pushed it again, and was greeted by a sleepy sounding voice saying, "Who's there. What is it? It's early."

"Sakura, it's Anko."

"Anko. What's going on? Why are you,"

"Listen Sakura, there's been an emergency. I need you to come with me now."

"But I'm not ready to,"

"It's Kakashi."

"Alright, come up. Second floor – I'll leave the door open." The entry door buzzed and Anko ran up to the second floor and saw Sakura's head peeking out a door. She followed her inside and Sakura said, "What's wrong with Kakashi?"

"He came back from a recon mission. Was gone for seven days, actually eight days. He's badly injured Sakura."

"Where is he? Is he at the hospital? I know he hates hospitals."

"No." Sakura looked at her completely confused. Anko said, "He's at my apartment."

Sakura looked at her strangely and said, "What's he doing there?"

_He promised he'd come back to me, _was what she wanted to say, but instead, she said, "I don't know. I tried to get him to the hospital, but he can't be moved. He wanted me to come get you. Hurry Sakura. He's in so much pain." Anko turned toward the door, not only to go, but to hide the tears that threatened to show up again.

Sakura said, "I'll get my things. What's wrong? Did you do an assessment?"

"I looked him over, and he's got some cuts, lots of bruises, but his right shoulder is really bad. It doesn't look right."

"Probably dislocated. I'll look him over but you may have to help me."

"Anything. Just hurry." Again Sakura looked at Anko. Anko was tempted to pick Sakura up and throw her over her shoulder to get her to hurry up. Sakura must have sensed her urgency, because she grabbed her bags and ran out the door with her fellow shinobi.

They arrived at Anko's apartment minutes later. Anko flew in the door and said, "This way," as she tried to keep her emotions under control. Sakura followed her to the bedroom and saw Kakashi lying on Anko's bed. Anko said, "I found him against my door in the hall. He lives on the other side of the building; I guess he didn't make it all the way home."

Kakashi said, "Don't listen to her Sakura. She did this to me when I rejected her sexual advances."

Anko's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in disbelief! Even in great pain, the man could still lie. She thought, y_ou are such a fucker Kakashi! Just you wait until you're better. I'll have your ass for that one._

Sakura didn't know what to believe and also didn't care. She saw her sensei in great pain and she needed to help him. "Kakashi-sensei. What the fuck happened to you?"

"Language Sakura."

"Shut up, I'm not your student anymore. I'll say what I want. Now are you going to tell me? Better yet, just tell me where it hurts."

Kakashi looked at her and said, "Alright Ms. Grown-up, my right side hurts and my shoulder is on fire. Any chance of fixing me up?"

Sakura looked at Anko and said, "Help me sit him up. Kakashi, this is going to hurt like a bitch."

"LANGUAGE Sakura!" Sakura just reached down with her super human freakish strength and grabbed both sides of his vest and sat him straight up. "OWW! Did you have to do that so violently? God that hurt."

Sakura said, "I have to get this vest off you, and the shirt as well. I'll probably cut the shirt off."

Kakashi whined through his pain, "But it's my favorite."

"You probably have ten more like it."

"I do, but this one doesn't have any holes in it."

Sakura and Anko removed his vest and then Sakura poked her finger through a small hole in the upper right back shoulder area and said, "Sorry, but it does now."

Kakashi grimaced, sighed and said, "Do what you will then."

Sakura told Anko, "steady him, I'll get the scissors."

Kakashi turned and looked at Anko who had him by the chest and back. She could see the pain on his face; she could feel it in the way his breath was labored. She looked at him with concern. He just quietly said to her, "you're the best," then he grimaced and sat up a little straighter.

Anko looked urgently at Sakura and said, "Sakura, hurry!"

Sakura ran back with the medical scissors and proceed to cut Kakashi's shirt straight up the middle of his back, and down the front again. Anko pulled the left side of his shirt off, then steadied him as Sakura slowly and carefully removed the right side.

Sakura said, "Lay him back down gently. This is going to be painful Kakashi. There's no way around it. I could knock you out for it. I'm probably going to put you out for a while anyway just to give you time to heal. Your body can't take much more of this. Do you want me to put you out to get your shoulder back in?"

Kakashi looked at Anko who was nodding to him to let her do it. She couldn't stand to watch him in one more minute of intense pain.

Kakashi said, "No. Just do it. I have to be conscious to tell you where else I have pain. Do it and then put me out."

Sakura looked at Anko, then Kakashi. "Are you sure? I promise you Kakashi, this is not going to be easy. It's going to hurt like nothing you've ever experienced before." Anko was practically in tears, but hid them completely. She wanted to beg him to spare himself, but she stayed silent and watched her friend suffer.

Kakashi said, "Just do it and put me out later when we're done."

Sakura said, "Alright. Anko, do you have a piece of board, anything flat we can put under his shoulder?"

"I have a cutting board in the kitchen."

"Go get it. It may work." Anko ran off to her kitchen and grabbed the board she used to cut veggies and meats on. It was a sturdy square piece of wood an inch thick. She brought it into Sakura. Sakura said, "That'll work ok. Now help me move him. Get ready Kakashi, this is the easy part."

Anko and Sakura slowly helped Kakashi sit up, then Sakura put the board against his shoulder and they eased him back down so it was under him, with the outside of his shoulder outside the edge of the wood. Kakashi was almost panting with the effort of just being moved around.

Sakura said, "Anko, put your arm across his stomach and chest like this," Sakura pulled Anko's left arm across his body and wrapped it around his side, making her practically lay across him, her face at his chest level. Then she said, "Put his left arm straight down his side and sit on it. You have to keep him still."

Anko looked at Kakashi who even in the dire pain he was in, managed to give her a quick wink at the prospect of her sitting on his arm, or better yet, his hand. She didn't know whether to scream at him, or laugh in spite of his pain. She did neither, opting to stuff his hand under her bottom, and bring her left thigh up to brace him even more.

Sakura said, "Good. Kakashi, where else do you hurt badly, in case you black out from the pain?"

Kakashi said, "Right side. Ribs are really sore. Left ankle too. It's throbbing."

Anko sat up as soon as he said "throbbing" because he took that very second to give her bottom a slight squeeze with the hand she was sitting on. She wanted to slap him first, and then all her desire for him came flooding back from the quick way he privately touched her. That'd have to wait. In the meantime, she was willing to let him have a feel if he wanted to. If it kept him calm, he could do whatever he wanted. She hoped he'd be ok. She needed to feel his hands on her again.

Sakura said, "Anko hold him tightly. He can't move the rest of his body. Kakashi, try and relax as much as you can. Don't resist me. I'm going to straighten your right arm now. I'll do it slowly, just breathe through it." Sakura straightened his arm slowly until it was along side his body. She held it straight with her left arm, pulling it down slightly. Kakashi winced, but breathed through the pain. Anko watched both in amazement as Sakura tried to put Kakashi back together again.

Then Sakura said, "Kakashi, this is it. This is the worst. I'm warning you because you need to know what's going to happen. This is going to hurt like a . . . like crazy. But you can't resist it, or I could do more damage to you. Do you understand?"

Kakashi said, "Sakura, stop talking to me like I'm a child, AAAAGGGGGGHGHGHH!!!!!!!!"

Anko saw Kakashi throw his head back into her pillow and scream in pain after Sakura suddenly pushed his shoulder back against the wood and back into its socket. Sakura said, "I had to do it like that while he was distracted, or else it may have been worse." Anko couldn't imagine how it could have been worse. That was horrible.

Kakashi quieted, and panted with sweat studding his brow. He turned his head to Anko who kept her tears to herself and he mouthed, "I'm ok, really," before he turned his head back and passed out again.

Sakura said, "We still have more work to do. Anko. Hey, are you with me here?"

Anko snapped her attention back to Sakura and said, "Yep. What's next?"

"He said his ribs were bad."

"Yeah, right here. I looked him over earlier." Anko pulled up his shirt and Sakura focused her healing chakra over his contused ribs.

"Luckily they're not broken. Pretty close, but they'll heal quickly. Anything else?"

"Just the ankle." Sakura performed her healing magic on Kakashi's ankle and it looked normal again.

Anko asked Sakura, "What do we do with him now?"

"He really needs a hospital."

"You know how much he hates them. He wouldn't let me take him there when he showed up here. Is there anything else we could do for him? Move him to his place and watch him?"

"He does need someone to watch him. Can he stay here?"

Anko tried to look demure, as if Kakashi had never been there before. She decided to take a chance on Sakura. She said, "That's just it Sakura, I don't mind if he stays. He's my friend and if he needs my help, I'll help him. That's what friends do for each other. But I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Kakashi and I talked briefly before I came to get you. He wanted to ask you to keep this quiet. He doesn't want anyone to know he's back until he's healed. I think it's a male ego thing or something. But could you just let it go? Just pretend to Hokage and anyone who asks that he's not here yet until he's better? We'll be able to keep him out of the hospital that way, and you know how he hates that place."

Sakura thought a minute and said, "You'd better call off today. You're going to need to be here with him."

"Sure. I have some vacation time. I'll call off. What do I need to do?"

"You need to keep an eye on him. I'm going to hit some pressure points on him that will keep him out for the next 12 hours. He needs that time to heal. He should be much better by then, but seriously Anko, he needs to rest. The hospital is the best place for him. They can take care of him there, but if you insist, I'll check in on him later."

"I think he wants it that way."

"Alright. Go ahead and call off and I'll put him out. Then I'll let you know what you'll have to do for the next 12 hours with him."

"Ok." Anko thought – _he's back and he's going to be comatose in my bed for the next 12 hours. If only he was awake and whole and ready for action! But that can wait. My friend needs help and I'm damn well going to give it to him._

Anko sent a message to the Hokage that she'd be taking a vacation day that day for "personal reasons." Meanwhile, Sakura applied some pressure point techniques to Kakashi and his breathing slowed and evened out. He seemed to be sleeping deeply. Sakura said, "There. He'll literally be out for the next 10 to 12 hours. I've put a sling on his arm – don't let him use it for a while. It should be ok tomorrow. I'll come back after my shift at the hospital and I'll check on him then. If you need any relief or help with him, send word to the hospital and I'll come over. And Anko,"

"Yeah?"

"Get some rest. You look beat."

"I will. Thanks Sakura. Your sensei did a great job with you. I'm sure he's very proud."

Sakura blushed a bit then said, "Don't mention it. I'll be back later."

"I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

"Thanks." Sakura wrote out a list of things to watch for while Kakashi slept. She had literally put him back into a coma, one where he could heal while he was in it. Anko walked Sakura out and then went back to the bedroom and the comatose Kakashi. He laid there on her bed, shirtless, arm in a sling, and still as desirable as he'd ever been. _It'd be so easy_ Anko thought as she looked at him "sleeping" in her bed. _I could do such terrible things to him while he's in the state he's in. But what fun would that be?_ She'd missed him, and he was right there in front of her now. But she could wait a little longer. She could endure her hurt for a little longer.

-----

**A/N:** Whew! Did you feel it? There's more where that came from.

Next up: Comatose Kakashi who can hear what Anko says when she talks to him. See you soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Back again with some mischief. Hope you like it - it gets fun now. Enjoy!

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Every twenty minutes or so, Anko checked on Kakashi. He barely moved while he was in his comatose state. After the first four hours, she began to talk to him. She had already done some housework, tidied up the place, and prepared a meal for later. There was nothing else to do but look after him. So she decided to talk to him instead. "So. You're in a coma. They say people can hear when they're comatose. I don't know for sure if you can hear me or not, so I'll just talk to you anyway. Here goes. I hope you're not feeling any pain. That's the worst. And seeing what you went through after Sakura tried to help you, it was almost more than I could take. My God Kakashi, she practically had to reassemble you. But anyway, wherever you are right now, whatever consciousness you're in right now, I hope you don't hurt. Because, I still do. I didn't hurt before. Not before. I didn't start to hurt until about three days after you left on your mission. I didn't think I would. But I found that I missed our time together. I mean, come on, the sex was INCREDIBLE! I want to do it, YOU, again. And I guess I'm being selfish, but I need you to come back to me. You already did. You came back just like you said you would. But I need you whole Kakashi. I need you to be your normal amazing self, because that's what I need. I need you just the way you are. I don't want you to change. I don't want you to be any special way for me. Just be you and get back here to me, because I missed you and I still do. I want my friend back. I need you back here with me." Anko paused for a moment and said, "And thanks for the underwear. Love to show them to you sometime." She turned away from him and let a few tears fall.

In the darkness Kakashi stirred and listened.

Anko heard a knock at her door. She left Kakashi to open it and found Sakura there. "How's he been?"

Anko said, "Very little change. He's been quiet, but that's best right?"

Sakura said, "Yeah." She looked at Anko and asked, "You ok?"

"Sure. Why do you ask?"

"You've got black circles under your eyes."

"Well, Kakashi did show up in the middle of the night and I've caught some cat naps since then, but no real sleep."

"You're not doing him any favors you know. You need to sleep if you plan on taking care of him."

"How long do you think he'll need taking care of?"

"Probably another day."

"Oh. I'll call off again tomorrow then."

"That'd be best. He should be coming around again in anywhere between two and four hours. He'll probably be ravenous. Do you have anything easy to eat? Miso soup or something simple?"

"I cooked earlier. I'll make sure I have something ready for him."

"Good. I'll leave some medicine too. He shouldn't have too much pain, but in case he does, give him some one of these in some tea." Sakura handed her three little white pouches. "Don't worry Anko, he'll be fine. For as long as I've known Kakashi-sensei, he's always overdone it. And he always comes out fine."

"Thanks Sakura. You're a great medic. Thanks for your help and discretion."

"Because my sensei asked,"

"I know. But thanks anyway."

"I'll stop by in the morning before work and check on him again. Oh yeah, and I'll let Tsunade know you won't be in tomorrow. More _personal_ matters."

"Thanks." Anko thought – _she knows_. She walked Sakura to the door and after she'd left, Anko went immediately back to Kakashi. She sat on the bed next to him, watching his stillness. She said, "Sakura knows. She knows something's going on. But she said she'd keep quiet. Good thing, because can you imaging what Asuma would do to you if he found out we were," then she waited. _What ARE we doing?_ "Never mind. Just be better. You should be coming around in a few hours. Sakura left some medicine for you if you need it. I'll help you any way I can Kakashi. I'm your friend, and I guess this is one of the benefits of having me for a friend. Friends help each other when they need it, and even when they don't." She looked at him, lying there looking so peaceful now. She wondered what he might be thinking.

Kakashi heard every word she'd said. He heard himself laugh inside his head at the whole reference to Asuma. He thought _Asuma would never let me live it down if he found out about us. Us. There's an us? Can friends be an "us?" We're friends. Friends who share each others' benefits. But Anko, what the hell are we doing? I owe you a lot. I don't know how I'll ever repay you. I think I may have a head injury, because I don't seem to be thinking straight right now. But don't leave yet, talk to me some more. I don't feel so alone when you talk to me._

Anko lay down next to Kakashi and looked at his face. Since she knew he was on the mend, she leaned her body against his. He was still comatose, but he felt so warm against her. She just looked at the side of his face. She reached over and pulled his mask down. She said, "That's better. If you can't talk back to me, at least I can look at all of you."

Kakashi felt the left side of his body get warm. He smelled Anko very close to him. _That's nice. I don't care that you pulled my mask down. Just stay here for a little while._

Anko reached her arm across Kakashi's chest, making sure to avoid the area of his ribs that had been bruised. She pushed herself against him a little more, leaning the side of her face against his shoulder. She sighed into his ear.

Kakashi felt warmth spread across his chest, breath on his ear. Inwardly, he smiled as he felt Anko become heavier on him. He could tell from the way she was relaxing on him, that she was falling asleep.

- - -

It was late in the day when Anko woke up. The sun was slipping away and her bedroom was cast with a golden haze. Something was different about the room. She looked up at the crack in her ceiling, still there. Then she sat up quickly as she remembered Kakashi was in her bed. He lay there, wide awake, looking at her. He said, "About time you woke up. I'm starving. Some nurse you turned out to be."

Anko smiled. He was finally all the way back. Total relief reined down on her from head to toe. She sighed heavily and then started right back at him, "Shut you face Hatake or I'll take you to the hospital and leave your ass there. You're hungry? Well, you'd better treat me a little better, or you'll get nothing."

"Does that include you?"

She got up and walked to the bedroom door, turned to look over her shoulder and said, "Yes." She shot him a look and went to her kitchen to heat him up some dinner.

Kakashi loved this game. He thought as he watched her leave the bedroom _I missed this when I was gone. I didn't realize it until right now, but I missed this, whatever "this" is._ He yelled to her, "What's for dinner, and is there any way I could possibly get a bath? I feel disgusting and I'm sure I'm quite offensive."

"I've got some grilled fish and some soup with vegetables. And if you can walk, you can have a bath."

Kakashi snickered. He said, "Will you help me bathe?"

Anko peeked her head in the door and said, "What's in it for me?"

"I'm in it for you."

Anko didn't know how to take that one, so she just played along. "Well, what if that's not enough. You know I really suffered when you showed up all broken on my doorstep. It was horrible seeing you like that. I think you need to do an awful lot of sucking up to me to make up for me seeing you like that." The thoughts of him broken on her doorstep came flooding back, and her mood changed. Kakashi noticed.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to come back like that. But I did promise to come back to you first. And in case you haven't noticed, I don't break promises."

Anko knew he was being sincere. He'd never meant to hurt her, but then again, she never meant to feel so hurt the whole time he was gone. Whatever was happening between them was becoming pretty painful to endure – for both of them.

The timer went off, and Anko went to get Kakashi his dinner. She brought it back to him on a tray that she sat next to her bed. She noticed that he looked at her a bit more seriously now, as she helped him sit up and prop pillows up behind him. She put the tray across his legs and said, "Can you eat by yourself or do you need me to feed you?"

Kakashi was confused. The mood had definitely changed from playful to almost, something he couldn't define. He said, "I can use my left hand, and my shoulder doesn't feel too bad at all now. I can manage." But he really didn't want to manage.

Anko didn't want him to manage either, but she left him to it anyway. She said as she left the room, "I'll go get your bath ready. Eat everything, and if you want more, just say so." As Kakashi watched her go, he decided that maybe he did want more. Of what, he wasn't quite sure. He carefully began to eat his soup, which turned his hunger into something more impatient. As he ate, he heard the water stop in the bathroom. He called to Anko, "Hey. I think I'm done here. I feel stuffed. Maybe I shouldn't have any more just yet."

She came into the room, "You don't want to overdo it. You overdo everything else, but I don't need you getting sick from eating my cooking."

"Your cooking was very good."

Anko smiled. _A compliment. That was nice_. She decided to forgive him a little for scaring her to death. She shifted the mood again, to make it a little lighter when she said, "You're just saying that because you were starving. You would have eaten fried dirt if I would have brought it to you."

Kakashi felt the mood lighten. He was glad and he wanted to play along, so he said, "Yeah, I probably would have. I've never been a picky eater. What you gave me I'd almost consider gourmet."

"Ok, now you're really going overboard. Let me take that." She reached for the tray and said, "I'll put this in the kitchen. Can you sit on the side of the bed? I'll be back to help you to the bath."

"I'll give it a try. I'm more stiff than anything now. The pain is manageable, and I don't hurt nearly as bad any more."

_That's funny, _Anko thought. _Neither do I._

_-----_

**A/N: **And we're off. The fun and games are about to pick up speed. Review please!

Next up: Kakashi in the bath. See you soon!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hi again! Thanks for sticking around. Ready for a bath? Kakashi is. Enjoy!

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Anko put the tray down and went back to the bedroom to find Kakashi sitting on the bed with his feet on the floor. She looked at him seductively. He said, "What? You're not thinking what I think you're thinking. Are you? I mean, it's fine if you're thinking what I hope you're thinking, I think."

"And what if I am?" Anko teased him.

"I knew there was something I liked about you."

"Yeah, me flat on my back probably."

"Or bent over copy machines,"

"Or pinned against a concrete slab,"

"Or hanging from a fire escape."

Anko liked this playful banter. Then she said, "Actually, I was just wondering whether you wanted me to undress you here, or in the bathroom."

Kakashi smiled, "Anko's in the driver's seat. Suddenly I am terrified of you."

"You should be. Where do you want to get naked?"

"I'm not modest, so here would be fine. You've seen it all before anyway."

"This is true. Alright, mask off." She easily removed his mask by pulling it up over his crazy hair. His shirt was already off – having been cut in two, which just left his boots, pants and anything he was wearing underneath. "Foot please." She squatted down in front of him and he kicked one of his feet up on her knee so she could remove his boot.

He said, "I apologize for any smell that comes out of that boot."

"Apology accepted, but not necessary. Hey, I seem to remember you removing my boots not all that long ago."

"I seem to remember a foot massage then too."

"I think you'll owe me another after this is all said and done."

"I think you may be right." Kakashi put his other foot on Anko's knee and she carefully removed his boot, being mindful not to undo anything Sakura had done to heal his ankle.

She looked at him and said, "Can you stand? Pants come off next."

He smiled at her wickedly. He said, "Do you know how much I'd like you to do this for me when I'm not so tired and sore?"

"Then ask me some time."

"I will." Kakashi stood gingerly, testing his ankle and he found it sound. He was still a little wobbly, but he stood as straight and still as possible while Anko undid his belt, wrappings and opened his pants. "Go slower," Kakashi said.

She looked at him and yelled, "Perv! I'm trying to bathe you not seduce you!"

"A man can dream can't he?"

"I think you dream too much."

"Slower."

"Kakashi!"

"Alright, just do it. I can wait."

_But can I, _Anko thought as she began to peel down his pants and his underwear in one go. She squatted in front of him, entirely too close to his penis.

Kakashi couldn't resist and said, "Someone else is happy to see you again."

"If you don't quit,"

"You'll do what?"

Anko decided to be truly evil and make him suffer for the way he made her hurt. She said, "I'll leave you here without your clothes and I'll go back to work. Then you'll have to take care of feeding and bathing yourself as well as taking care of that too," she pointed at his penis for emphasis.

"You really know how to hurt a man."

"I do my best. Plus, you're in no state to have wild, sweaty, passionate,"

Kakashi's eyes started to glaze over and his penis started to listen to her a little more.

"relations of any sort until you're healed."

"And when will that be? How long will you make we wait?"

"Sakura said tomorrow you should be fine."

"Good. I can wait until tomorrow."

"She also said I have to take care of you tomorrow, so she let Hokage know I would be taking a vacation day to make sure you're taken care of."

"I can't wait to see how you're going to take care of me."

"Let's get that bath first. Then I'll run down to your apartment and get you something comfortable to sleep in. You're not going anywhere until the day after tomorrow."

"You're going to hold me captive until then?"

She looked at him slyly and said, "I am."

"Ok. I agree to be your captive. Now about that bath, I'm getting a little cold standing here all naked and vulnerable. Wouldn't want me catching cold and having to stay longer now would you?" _I wouldn't mind that so much_ Kakashi thought as he finished his sentence.

_I wouldn't mind that so much_ Anko thought as Kakashi finished his sentence.

Anko said, "Alright, come on." She took his left arm and put it around her shoulders and helped walk him to the bathroom. As they went, she resisted the urge to reach her hand across and run it over his chest. She pushed the thought out of her mind as he wobbled a little and she concentrated on steadying him. "Just a little further." They finally made it to the bathroom where she had him sit on the commode and rest a minute before he tried getting into the tub.

She tested the water to make sure it was still warm enough. Then she went back over to him and said, "Let's take that sling off." She carefully took the sling from around the back of his neck and slid it off his arm. His shoulder was still a bit bruised, but it at least looked normal again.

Kakashi moved his arm slowly, "Sakura is truly a medical genius. It feels much better – just a bit stiff."

"Well, let's un-stiffen you and get you relaxed. Come on, up we go." She helped Kakashi stand again and helped him get into the tub. He sat down carefully, sighing like he'd never stop.

When he was fully stretched out and immersed in the not too hot water he said, "Remind me to tip you handsomely for all your help."

Anko snapped back, "Careful Hatake. I'm not your maid."

He looked at her and said, "I'd pay a years' wages to see you in a maid's uniform."

"Oh really?"

"Yep, and if you had, and used a feather duster too? Two years'."

"Shut up. I wish there was a way I could clean your dirty mind."

"Why? You're just as bad as me."

"Not outwardly I'm not."

Then Kakashi stopped and looked at her as she reached for a wash cloth. She had a slight smile on her face. She wasn't even looking at him, she was just getting things together to help him, her friend, bathe his beaten body. She felt him looking at her finally and said, "Everything ok?"

All he said was, "No."

Anko looked at him with concern. "Are you in pain? What's wrong? Sakura left some medicine; I could get you some,"

Kakashi just looked at her again intensely and said, "No." Then he reached out with his good hand and grabbed her by the back of the neck, and pulled her face to his. He kissed her firmly, making her squeak in surprise at how strong he could be even though he wasn't completely healed yet. He released her quickly and settled back into the tub, looking like himself again. She just looked at him as if to say, what the hell what that for?

Kakashi smiled sideways and said, "I just realized right this second, that I've been in your apartment all this time and I hadn't kissed you yet."

Anko felt a little blush tint her cheeks. She said, "Oh." She felt like an innocent girl for a second, then the headstrong Anko came barreling back and she said, "Well it took you long enough!"

"I was injured. I wasn't thinking straight before."

She looked at him and said, "What you don't know is that while you were passed out the first time, I washed your hands and face and kissed you while you were unconscious."

"You did what! You took advantage of me in the incapacitated state I was in?"

She looked like at him like a devil with a secret. She said, "I controlled myself from doing the "other things" I wanted to do to you when you were unconscious."

"I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have wanted to miss that."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Kakashi agreed.

Anko began to help Kakashi wash the side of his body that his right arm would normally wash. She let him do all the "other bits" himself because she didn't want him to get too excited. Tomorrow was going to be explosive indeed.

Kakashi thought to himself _she's worse than me. I think I may have met my match. Anko my friend, you scare me to death._ Anko just kept smiling and working on getting Kakashi clean.

Once he was clean Anko said, "We've got to do something about your hair. You need it washed. I think there are bits of rubble in it."

"There probably are. Do you have any manly smelling shampoo, or does it all smell like something pretty and flowery?"

"I have pretty and flowery and "normal type" too. How about this one? Just smells like clean soap."

"That'll do fine."

"Good, then lean forward." Kakashi leaned forward and Anko used a cup to pour water over his head. "Can you do this with one hand, or do you want me to,"

"Do it. Please."

Anko was happy to wash Kakashi's hair. She'd finally get to touch it like she wanted to when he first fell into her bed. She took some shampoo and rubbed it between her hands and then smeared it all over his hair. Then she started at the top and digging in her short fingernails, she scrubbed his hair vigorously to get the bits of battle, old blood and dirt out of it.

Kakashi interrupted her scrubbing, "My mother used to scrub my hair like that! Jeez! You're going to take half my scalp off!"

"I'm just getting all the shit out of your hair!"

"You could be a little gentler. I am injured you know."

"You are such a baby. And you're enjoying this way too much."

"I'd be enjoying it more if you weren't trying to pull my scalp off my head."

Anko was going to fix him. "How's this?" She curled her fingers and purposefully began scrubbing in gentle circles at the base of his skull. Immediately his eyes rolled. "I got you here last time remember?"

"In the hall at the academy. I remember. Oh, that's good."

"I know," was all she said as she continued to work the small circles up higher on his head. She continued her ministrations until his entire head was soapy and he seemed about to sink into the water.

"Now you've done it," he said and as if on cue, the top of his penis bobbed above the surface of the water, like the periscope on a submarine.

Anko said, "Down periscope."

"Pure evil. You are pure evil."

"I am not. I can't help the fact that you can't control yourself. That's your problem."

"I don't know if I can wait until tomorrow."

"You can and you will. Dr.'s orders." Anko sighed. The sight of Kakashi's penis poking out of the water made her want to tear her clothes off and jump right in there with him. She'd definitely ask him if he wanted to try "tub sex" some time in the future. But he was almost healed now, and there was no sense in possibly injuring him again before he was 100 percent ready for the intense sexual exercises she intended to put him through. She'd wait one more day. "Lean forward so I can rinse the shampoo out." He leaned forward to let her pour cup over cup of water over his hair. Then she ran some clear water and rinsed him again. "Conditioner?"

"Sure. I'll be all fluffy."

"You're always all fluffy."

"I prefer the term, spiky. Sounds manlier."

"Well, whatever, you've always got volume. This may give you even more." She slapped some conditioner on his hair, making sure she didn't spend too much time fondling his scalp like she'd done just minutes before. It wasn't fair to get him all worked up and then turn him down, even though she didn't want to. "Rinse again." She rinsed him off and said, "Alright. You're squeaky clean. I'm going to let you soak for a bit. When you're ready to get out give me a call."

"Thanks a lot Anko. I feel even better now than when I stepped in this tub."

Anko nodded to him, and left. Kakashi put his head against the wall behind the tub and looking at the ceiling he thought _I could get used to this. _

A few minutes later Anko peeked in on him. He still had his head against the wall and seemed to be dozing. "Kakashi? Don't fall asleep in there. Where's your key? I want to run over to your apartment and get you some clothes."

He stirred a bit but didn't open his eyes, "Top left pocket of my vest. Bedrooms in the back, and I have some sweats and t-shirts in the dresser on the left."

"What about socks and underwear?"

"Don't need them today." He opened his eyes and looked at her, not moving his head from the wall.

Anko said, "Ok then. I'll be right back."

Kakashi smiled when she left and thought _I could definitely get used to this._

_-----_

**A/N:**Kakashi in the bath. Just wait till he gets _out_ of the bath. 3 more chapters to come. Review please! And many thanks to "the gang" who've been sending lovely encouraging words every chapter so far. You guys ROCK!

Next up: Anko goes to Kakashi's apartment and is very disappointed at what she finds. See you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hi again! Glad you're back. Our friends are beginning to have some trouble with this "friends" thing. Let's see where it goes shall we? Enjoy!

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Anko left her apartment and headed to Kakashi's. She went inside and found his place was utterly devoid of practically anything. The sparse furniture he had was just enough for one person. One chair at his table, one chair in his living room, one of this, and one of that. Nothing for two. This made Anko a bit sad. She thought _this guy has set himself up to be alone forever. That's really sad. I guess he must not have many guests over. There'd be no place for them to sit. _She went to his bedroom and saw that his bed was at least a little bigger. Two people could fit into it. It'd be a bit cramped, but what's wrong with that? She found his dresser and grabbed him a pair of sweats and a tank top. With one last look around his lonely apartment, Anko left and headed back to her own.

When she got back, Kakashi was still in the tub. She walked in with his clothes and some towels. He said, "So, what did you think of my place?"

Anko thought a minute and said, "It's so . . . singular."

"Well I'm a single guy. I'm only one, so I only need stuff for one."

"Oh. Right." Anko's mood dropped a bit. Kakashi didn't want to share his life with anybody, let alone her. Not that she wanted him to – they were just friends after all.

"What's wrong? Why the long face?" he asked.

Anko decided to just come right out and ask him about it. "So if I wanted to come over and pay my friend a visit, I should bring my own chair so I had a place to sit?"

"Well you have plenty of stuff here. Lots of chairs and couches and things. I could just come over here and visit my friend. You have plenty of stuff for two." Kakashi just didn't get it. He thought, _what's going on here?_

Anko said, "Don't worry about it. Let's get you out of there and dried off. You need to have a bit more food and lots of sleep." She helped Kakashi stand up and step out of the tub. He looked at her a bit concerned at the drop in her mood that was still evident in the silence between them. She dried half of his body and then handed him the towel. "You do the rest, call me and I'll help you dry your hair."

Kakashi tried to shift the mood again by calling to her, "But I don't normally dry my hair. It just kind of dries itself."

Anko stopped and looked at him. She said, "So that explains why it's so, big."

Kakashi noticed she wasn't accepting the invitation to play this time. _What'd I do wrong? Something's bothering her. Was it my apartment? Or is it me?_

Anko felt sullen. _He's so alone. Just like me. My friend and I are alone, together. We're two people, two separate people. At least we're friends. Still, I won't turn him away. Not now that he needs my help, and not ever, if he ever decides he doesn't want to be alone anymore._

Kakashi finished drying himself and decided that he'd better quit the bullshit for a little while. Anko was obviously upset about something, so he decided to approach her a little more carefully. "Anko? I'm pretty much dry now."

Anko heard him yell to her and she answered, "You need help dressing?"

Kakashi wanted her to rush in to him, and put her hands all over his body again, slowing sliding on his sweat pants, inching his tank top over his head, but instead he said, "I think I can manage, but I'll need help with this stupid sling thing. Would you mind?"

Anko came into the bathroom and said, "Of course I don't. That's what friends do right?"

Kakashi smiled only slightly at her and thought _Friends. Right._

Anko got Kakashi back into his sling and then walked him back to bed. She could tell that he was healing, because he had much more control over himself after the bath than he had before. She got him settled back in her bed and asked him, "Something more to eat then? You should have a bit more so you'll be ready in the morning."

Kakashi's mind grabbed onto her last sentence. _Ready in the morning? Ready FOR WHAT?! Explosive sex? Hours of mauling? Or does she mean, ready to leave? _He answered her, "I'll have a little more if you'll join me. You really look tired. Come on Anko, I can't have you getting worn out taking care of me. Maybe I should just go home."

Anko screamed in her head, _NO! Don't leave! You practically just got here, and you were so hurt, and now you're almost better and I missed you more than I wanted to, and you just can't leave yet! _Then she looked at Kakashi and said, "You can't leave yet."

"Says who?"

"Says me. And says Sakura. Besides, she's coming here first thing in the morning before her shift. You've got to be ready to see her when she gets here. Then she'll let you know if you're healed enough or if you need to rest some more."

Kakashi thought _oh so THAT's what she means. Ready in the morning for Sakura. Ok, if that's it, that's good. That's fine. She doesn't want me to leave yet. Good._

Anko said, "Listen. I'm beat, and you need more rest. I'll get you something else to eat, but then I'm going to take one of your world famous baths."

"You should go relax for a while. You've done more for me than I deserve."

"Don't mention it. That's what friends do for each other right? They're there when you need them."

"Right." Somehow this whole "friends" thing was starting to bother Kakashi.

Anko left the room and returned shortly with a fresh tray for him. "Here ya go. When you're done, just go ahead and set it on the night stand. I'm going to go soak for a while. I'll come get it later."

"You going to be alright in there by yourself? You really look wiped out. Don't want you falling asleep in the tub."

"I'll be fine, but thanks for asking." She went over to her dresser where she opened her underwear drawer and pulled out, of all things, the "Friday" underwear. _What a coincidence. Tomorrow is Friday. I wonder if he planned it this way._ She tucked the underwear inside a pair of black pajama bottoms and a tank top. If Kakashi was going to see her underwear, it wasn't going to be until Friday.

She trudged into the bathroom and ran the water. The whole time she thought about the may lying in her bed. _He's so strong, and brilliant, but so alone. I wonder why he doesn't let anyone get too close to him? I know he lost everyone he ever cared about when he was younger. But why doesn't he keep trying? Losing someone is probably just too painful, so he chooses to stay alone. That's just so sad. _

The water pounded into her tub and she decided to throw some scented bath salts in the water. A wonderful clean smell engulfed the entire bathroom. She breathed deeply as the warm clean smell made her feel relaxed already. She soon shut the water off and slipped out of her clothes that she'd worn the night before, chucked them in her hamper and slipped into her tub. She relished the penetrating heat that threatened to put her to sleep. But she'd heed Kakashi's words and not fall asleep in the tub. There was a chance that if she did, he wouldn't know, and wouldn't come get her if she slipped below the water accidentally.

She washed herself vigorously trying to keep awake a little longer. She washed her hair quickly and grabbed a small towel to wrap around it. Then she sat back and just soaked herself, again thinking about the man in her bed.

Anko hadn't been gone for five minutes when Kakashi became concerned. _Stop it Kakashi,_ he said to himself_ she's fine. Leave her alone. She needs to have some alone time. She's not used to taking care of anyone but herself. Just like that guy you look at in the mirror every day._ Kakashi fought with himself again. He wanted to go to her, just to be in the same room with her. He felt comfortable around her, which is a big change from the way he used to feel around her. He used to just want to fuck her sideways, and play risqué games with her. He still wanted to do those things of course, but the past day he'd spent with her had made him see her a bit differently. She was the same person he'd been having wild animal sex with before he'd left for his mission, but he found that there was much more to Anko than sweat and passion and sex. _Leave her alone dammit. She'll be back soon._

Anko put a washcloth over her eyes and put her head against the back of the tub. She could barely think she was so tired. She was grateful that it was almost time for bed and that she only had to get up in the morning to let Sakura in to check on Kakashi. She was glad she didn't have to go to work. All these thoughts went through her head and not once, not for one second, did she even notice Kakashi standing in the doorway looking at her.

_God, you're weak. You should have left her alone._ He fought with himself again. He wanted her to rest. He wanted her not to worry about him anymore. He wanted her in bed with him, and not just for sleeping. He just wanted to make sure she was ok, and maybe just look at her a little bit. He thought to himself, _I sure as hell hope she doesn't know I'm here. I might scare the shit out of her. I'd better leave her to it. I'll check on her in a few minutes if she doesn't come out._ Reluctantly, he forced himself back into her bedroom with one final look over his shoulder. He climbed back into her bed and waited, his ears trained on the bathroom waiting to hear the water move.

The washcloth began to slide down Anko's face. She started; she had actually almost dozed off. _Water's tepid, _she thought_. Get me outta here and into some warm clothes._ She stepped out and dried off. She carefully unfolded her pajama pants and took out the "Friday" underwear and slid them on. _He's going to be in for one hell of a surprise tomorrow if Sakura says he's ok. I really hope he's ok. I don't think I could take it if he wasn't._ She pulled on the rest of her pajamas and dried her hair with a towel a bit then blew it mostly dried. She shook it out, ran her fingers through it and said, "Good enough for bed." _Bed. Kakashi's in my bed. I hope he's asleep. I don't want him to see me looking so disheveled._ Unfortunately, Anko did not get her wish.

Anko had planned on sneaking in on a sleeping Kakashi, taking the tray she'd left for him, putting it in the kitchen and then sneaking back in and snuggling up to him as he slept. This plan was not to happen entirely the way she'd planned. She snuck in to find Kakashi sitting up in bed waiting for her. "Hey. Feel better now? You look tired."

"I feel better, I look terrible."

"I didn't say you looked terrible."

"I saw myself in the mirror. I look terrible, but it's ok. I'll be fine tomorrow. Let me take the tray,"

Kakashi stopped her, "Leave it."

"Why? It's empty I just want to,"

He took her wrist and pulled her on to the bed and said, "Leave it. It'll be there tomorrow. You've done enough. You need to rest, or I'll be taking care of you next." Both ninja had terribly naughty thoughts dance through their heads about the whole "taking care of" business, but both kept their ideas to themselves for the moment.

Anko said, "You're right. I need to sleep." She stood up and shut out the light, and the faint starlight and moonlight illuminated her room slightly. She could make out Kakashi's silhouette against her pillows and she could see he was scooting down to lay down with her. She slid into bed next to him and was quite surprised when he held out his arm to her. His left arm was still in a sling, but he managed to reach out for her, allowing her to lay the length of him against his side. She was even more surprised at how tightly he pulled her against him. She loved the way he felt against her, the way his skin smelled – clean and masculine all rolled into one attractive aroma. She sighed heavily into his chest and felt herself slipping away into a welcomed sleep.

Kakashi could make out the outline of Anko lying next to him, his right arm kept her tightly held against him. He'd rested enough and wasn't really tired so he decided to watch her sleep for a while. _She's been up almost 24 hours taking care of me. Because of her I'm still alive. I felt her cling to me last night. Tonight, I'm not letting her go._

After some time of contemplation about how grateful he was that Anko was his friend, Kakashi fell asleep.

**A/N:** Anko and Kakashi both seem to be trying to figure the other out, and what this "friendship" really means to them. They're grateful for each other, but to what extent? Review please!

Next up: Kakashi's diagnosis and the lemon you've all been waiting for. See you soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hi again! Here we go. Lemon - big time. Just warning you. It's not first thing, but it's definitely there. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

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Anko stirred in the morning to the beginnings of a purple sunrise. There was a knock at her door. She rubbed her eyes and felt something move next to her. Kakashi was trying to move his slinged arm that held her firmly spooned against him, so she could answer the door. Then she heard a quiet voice say, "Anko, it's Sakura. Are you awake?"

Anko yawned out something that sounded like, "I'll be right there Sakura," then she turned to Kakashi and said, "You awake?"

"Yeah. I feel really good too. Sakura's going to say I'm good to go."

Anko said, "Oh, so you want to go?"

"I didn't mean it like that; I meant she'll say I'm healed. I'm not leaving until you give me a proper send off. Pass me my mask while you're up."

Anko loved it. Kakashi was back, and she knew just as well as he did that he wasn't leaving until they were both thoroughly exhausted again. She tossed him his mask which he managed to put on with one hand, and then she went to the door and let Sakura in, turning on a few lights as she went. "Morning Sakura. The patient is in the bedroom." She led the way, and stood back as Sakura entered the room.

"So Kakashi-sensei. How you feeling today?"

"Sakura, I'm fit and well. I had a very good nurse take care of me."

"Let me be the judge of that. I'm not judging your abilities Anko; it's just that I don't believe a word he says."

Anko looked at him and said, "Neither do I," as she remembered his crack about her beating him to a pulp because he rejected her sexual advances. The day he rejected her or anyone's sexual advances was the day she married Orochimaru – and that would pretty much NEVER happen.

Kakashi just looked at Anko and winked.

Sakura said, "Ok, Kakashi, let's start at the bottom and work our way up."

Kakashi, always the smart ass, said, "But there's nothing wrong with my bottom."

Both Anko and Sakura groaned a bit at that one, and Sakura said, "I'll start with your ankle if you don't mind. Nope, nothing wrong now. Everything's tight and healed. Any pain?"

"None."

"Good. Let's see your ribs." He raised his slinged arm and she put her hand over the greenish bruise that was still evident. She pumped him full of healing chakra and the greenish tint faded even more. "These are good too. Now, let's take a look at that shoulder." She pulled the sling up over his head and slid it off his arm. She said, "I'm going to move your arm around a bit and feel if there's anything not right in there. This may hurt a bit. Let me know if there's any pain."

"Ok, go ahead." Anko watched as Sakura picked up Kakashi's arm and rotated it first forward and backward, around in circles both ways, straightened his arm out and then lifted it over his head. "Just a little stiff that's all Sakura."

"I'll agree. Just a little roughness in the rotator cuff area, but that's to be expected when you get your arm ripped from its socket."

"Yeah that was a pretty bad one wasn't it?"

Anko shivered a little as she remembered what he looked like when he arrived on her doorstep.

Sakura finally said, "You're fine Kakashi. You're free to go home whenever you want." Both Anko and Kakashi didn't look as happy as Sakura had expected them to be when she delivered this news.

Sakura said, "Now listen, I haven't told anyone you're back yet, to save your stupid ego or," she looked at Anko, "whatever. But you should get back to work soon. I overheard Tsunade say she was going to send out an Anbu team to find you, and do you have any idea what she'll do to you if they find you here and you haven't reported back in yet? Come on Kakashi, that woman is SCARY. She'll kick you to the Sand village. Seriously, play hooky today, but get back tomorrow. Just giving you some friendly advice."

Kakashi said, "Thanks Sakura. I appreciate all you've done for me. Especially the not letting Tsunade know I was back bit. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Anko, you did a great job. I just noticed he's not as repulsive smelling as when I came in yesterday. Did you,"

Kakashi cut Sakura off, "She helped me get into the tub. She wanted to stay in there and scrub me, but I told her I could manage. She just wanted to see me naked."

Anko looked at him and cracked her knuckles. Rather than pounding him, she decided to let him have his fun. She fully intended to see him naked very shortly.

Sakura just eyed Kakashi like she always did – not really believing a word he said, and this time was no different. Sakura said, "Right. I'm off to work. I'll see you two tomorrow then?"

Anko said, "Definitely." Kakashi just nodded. Sakura left and closed the door behind her.

Kakashi immediately wanted to vault out of bed and grab Anko and throw her over his shoulder and toss her onto the bed and jump on top of her and tear ALL her clothes off her, not just her underwear, but he couldn't. Instead, he just took off his mask, sat on the bed and waited for Anko to come back.

She came back a minute or so later. She said, "I'm making breakfast, and then you're in big trouble. Get in the bathroom and brush your teeth. You can use my toothbrush."

Kakashi started to giggle inside _look who's calling the shots! _All he said was, "Yes ma'am." And he got out of bed slowly and made his way to the bathroom as Anko cooked up some breakfast for the both of them.

They ate quickly, both knowing what was about to happen. They were only going to be off one more day together and they didn't want to waste a minute of it. After feeding each other strawberries, Anko said, "Go to bed."

Kakashi smirked, got up and went to bed, no questions asked. He thought _she's got a wicked look in her eye. What's she going to do to me? I hope it lasts, it's been a while._

Soon she came to the bedroom and leaned against the door. She smiled and looked at him. _Finally, _she thought. _I've waited; he's waited, and now it's finally time. It's always been so fast and furious with us in the past. I want this time to last._

Kakashi was getting anxious. He was on the brink of losing his mind. All he could think about was Anko. All his senses were heightened from the adrenalin that had begun to flow as he watched her leaning against the door frame. He'd never last. It'd be over in seconds. What he'd waited so long to do with her again would barely be worth doing, because he knew it'd be over before it really got good. Still, he stared at her and didn't move, while every fiber of his being prickled with anticipation.

Anko walked away from the door. She knew that what she was doing to Kakashi was probably torturing him, but that was fine. He'd caused a great hurt inside her when he was gone, and then he put her through hell when he came back shattered and on the edge of death. She was in charge now. It was her turn.

She stared right into him as she reached for the bottom of her pajama top and slowly, purposefully pulled it up and over her head. Kakashi's eyes widened as he stared at her and the confident way she exposed herself to him. She was clearly in charge, and that's the way it was going to stay for a while. Next she untied her pajama bottoms, pulled the draw-string open and let them drop. She stood in front of him in just her "Fridays."

Kakashi couldn't think. So instead, he just let his mouth drop open. She was wearing the one pair of underwear he made sure to get her. The ones he wanted to rip off her right now – with his teeth.

Anko decided it was time. She walked forward and stood at the end of the bed. When he made a move to get her, she said, "Stay." Kakashi didn't argue, he just sat back down. Anko then cat-walked onto the bed toward him, pushing the covers and blankets out of her way as she closed in on him. "Lie down," she said to him quietly. He completely obeyed, while his penis did not. As soon as he was down, it was quite obvious that his sweat pants were fitting entirely too tightly in the front.

Kakashi watched as Anko did an amazing thing to him. She put both her hands on either side of his hips, then she dipped her head down, running her chin, then her neck, then her chest and the area between her breasts up the underside of his still hidden penis. He stuttered her name as she did this. Then all Kakashi could do was watch, as she untied his pajama pants and began to pull them down. He lifted himself so she could get them off him completely. He started to take his tank top off but she stopped him, "Don't. Let me." Kakashi stopped what he was doing and laid back. Anko walked over to the side of the bed and partly leaning over and into him, she pushed the bottom of his shirt up slowly, revealing ripple after ripple after rib after pectoral. She watched his abdomen contract to lift his torso so she could pull the shirt off his arms. She gently pushed him back into the pillows with one hand, dropping his shirt with the other.

Kakashi wanted to touch her. He wanted to please her. He wanted to do ANYTHING to her, but she wouldn't let him. She was in charge; she had made that abundantly clear. He wasn't helpless, it was just her turn to initiate, and she intended to do just that. He laid back and waited for her to make her next move.

Anko made her way back onto the bed and immediately straddled Kakashi's penis pressing it between her still clothed pubis and his pubic bone. Already more than ready herself, she drew this out. She wanted to feel every bit of him, and she wanted it to last. She watched his face as she pressed herself against him one more time. He almost looked pained, and she never wanted to see pain in his face again. She decided it was time to continue to the next level.

Anko stopped torturing Kakashi long enough to lean forward and take his hands and put them on her ass. She allowed him to feel the fabric of the "Fridays" that she still wore. The sliding feeling his hands left on her backside heightened her pleasure, and she ground against him out of reflex more than anything else. She wanted him inside her, but not quiet yet. As he continued to touch her, she leaned forward, and hovering eye to eye with him, she gave him a lingering kiss, and let her tongue touch him gently, leaving him hungry for more of her. It didn't last long, but it was enough to drive him almost to the edge.

Kakashi couldn't breathe. Anko's kiss was something he'd never experienced before. It was gentle, yet so sensual. And with all the other things she was doing to him and letting him do to her, he could barely slow himself down. He focused on her "Fridays" and tightened his grip on them. He heard a slight ripping sound as both patches of Velcro that held the sides together began to give and be pulled apart. He kept squeezing until both sides finally broke opened.

Anko lifted herself slightly and snatched them away, discarding them herself for the first time instead of him doing it. Then she settled back onto him, watching his face again as she pressed him, this time, skin on skin. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I missed you when you were gone," and she ground herself down on his overtaxed over stimulated penis again.

Kakashi moved his head from side to side and moaned, "Not like I missed you."

She whispered again, "But you came back like you said you would."

"I don't break promises."

Anko smiled and licked beneath the ear she was whispering into, and said, "Good." Then she went back to his mouth and sensually kissed him again.

Fireworks went off behind Kakashi's closed eyes as Anko continued to kiss him. He was overloaded with sensations, and as soon as she removed her lips from his, he said, "Do you remember when I asked you if you were married?"

Anko briefly let her mind drift back to the first night they were together. Kakashi had asked her if she was married because he wanted to know if she'd give him the great back massages she gave him that night, every night if he married her. She came back to him and said, "Yes, I remember," and she sucked the same spot under his ear, while she ground him again.

Kakashi's body was one electric nerve ending. Even the air touching his skin was doing incredible things to him. Yet he continued, "If I married you would you do this to me every night?"

Anko knew this was part of their "play," so she answered with the same kind of response she had given him that first night, "If I married you, I'd do this and things you couldn't even dream of." Then she kissed a trail of kisses down his chest, raising herself slightly to get herself into position to sit on his waiting erection.

Kakashi thought_ so incredible. I've never . . . it's never been like this before. What she's doing to me . . . I can barely take it. So good. How can I ever leave her again? She means so much . . . ooooooohhnnnn, _and Kakashi's mind shut down as Anko finally slid down the length of him, taking him insider her.

Anko filled herself with Kakashi's penis. Then she just sat there, flexing her pelvic walls, stimulating him without even moving. He did not thrust into her; he didn't want this feeling to end. Anko herself didn't want it to end either, that's why she didn't move for a full minute, but instead, kept flexing. In her head she said, _I've waited so long for this. All hurt is now gone, replaced by pleasure. Kakashi, what will I do without you, without this? I can't live without this._ She leaned forward, trying not to move her hips at all, and she took his face in her hands and open mouth kissed him, deeply and sensually.

Kakashi's breathing was becoming erratic. He hadn't even moved, neither one of them had, yet Anko was doing erotic things to his penis that were driving him quickly toward his orgasm. All he could do was try and break their kiss and focus on something, anything to slow down the freight train that was about to erupt out of him. He managed to break the kiss, but the freight train was already past the point of no return.

Anko sensed his urgency as he pulled his mouth from hers and tried to breathe. She knew he was seconds away from an orgasm, so she shifted her weight and ground herself against his pubic bone, skyrocketing her arousal. She had changed the angle of penetration only slightly, but that was all it took. Kakashi wrapped his hands around her hips and held her tightly as he orgasmed uncontrollably inside her. Taking his lead, she leaned forward and with one small circle of her hips, followed his orgasm with her own. It was so strong and urgent that it brought tears to her eyes.

The sense of pleasure coursing through Anko's body was slow to leave her. She sat on Kakashi, not moving, not wanting to move, until she felt his hands fall away from her hips. She slowly, dreamily looked down at the slightly sweaty ninja still inside her. She smiled at him, noticing the "mark" she'd left on him this time. Inside she giggled. She reached down and put her hands on his chest and lifted herself off him.

He said, "Do you have to?"

She said, "Have to what?"

"Uhm, disengage?"

"That's a pretty technical term don't you think? But yeah, I should eventually. Even though I really really didn't want to."

Kakashi held his arms out to her and said, "I really really didn't want you to either. What have you done to me Anko? I've spent two days in your bed. One in dire pain and one in orgasmic pleasure. How do you do it? How are you so strong yet so sensitive? How can you be both?"

"I am shinobi. I can be many things, you know that."

"Were you being shinobi with me just now? Using your training on me?"

"No." _I'm something else when I'm with you_ she thought to herself.

"Well, whatever it was, remember it because I will."

"I could think of a few more things to try later."

"Does one of them involve a bath?"

"It does."

"Great."

"What?" Anko asked as she sensed some tenseness in his voice.

"Great. Now you can read my mind. I'm in such big trouble."

_Oh yes you are Kakashi. _Anko thought. _You have no idea._

_-----_

**A/N: **And the story bears fruit. I hope you liked it. It was fun to write!

Next up: Final chapter for this story. You're all in for a bit of a surprise. See you soon!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Hi everyone. Time to wrap it up. This is short and to the point and not what you think will happen. You will be surprised by the end. Enjoy!

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Anko and Kakashi spend the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon and early evening experimenting on each other, even managing to "test the waters" in the tub together once, even though that proved a little more difficult – and messy – than they'd thought it would be.

After having a light supper, they decided to turn in early. Both were spent from their day of play, and thought it best to get some sleep. They climbed into bed together and were quiet for a few minutes.

Kakashi said, "How do I ever repay you for everything you've done for me?"

Anko said, "That's what friends do right?"

Kakashi had had about enough of this "friends" thing. It was starting to be the only thing Anko referred to them as. So he told her, "Will you quit the "friends" thing already?"

"Why? We're friends right?"

Kakashi paused, and then said, "I don't know what we are. Have you thought about it? I mean, really thought about this whole thing?"

_Yes._ "A little."

"What the hell are we doing?"

Anko looked at him and said, "I for one am enjoying the hell out of you and your so called benefits."

Kakashi had to agree with that one. "Yeah, me too. Never mind. I don't know what I'm thinking. I guess I'm just getting pre-occupied with reporting in tomorrow. Tsunade's probably going to turn me right back around and march me out on another mission. Who knows how long I'll be gone this time."

Anko thought about what he said. _He'll be gone again, or I'll be gone, and we won't be able to have our friendly little games anymore. What if he comes back again, all torn to pieces like he was yesterday? What if he doesn't come back at all?_ It was then that Anko decided that she couldn't bear the thought of going through that kind of hurt again. She never wanted to see Kakashi in pain again. But how could she live without him in her life? Quietly she said, "I'm afraid."

"What? You? Anko? Afraid? You're not afraid of anything."

"Yes I am. I'm afraid you'll be gone again and you'll come home worse the next time."

"Anko there's also a chance that I'll be fine. You know I don't always come home injured. We're shinobi, it's part of the job. Sometimes we come home fine,"

She sat up with horrible images in her mind, "Sometimes we come home in a box or not at all! What would you do if it were me next time? What if I showed up on your doorstep, late getting back from a mission, beaten to a bloody pulp and propped up against your door? Would you even worry while I was gone? Would you miss me?" Anko's emotions poured out of her and the hurt that had been quieted roared back to life.

Kakashi stared at her as her words sank in. First he was angry at the thought of anyone touching her, let alone hurting her. He thought _I'd hunt down and kill anyone who put their hands on you in anger. Anyone who caused you pain would not live another day. I'd tear them apart with my bare hands and watch them die if they so much as laid a finger on you. _Then Kakashi realized that he had begun to care too much. The memories of all the people he'd loved and lost came to the forefront. It seemed he was about to lose another one.

Quietly he said, "I worried about you when I was gone. I didn't care about myself, but I kept thinking about how I wanted to get back here. I'd promised I would. I kept my promise. And one other thing,"

Anko looked at him and said, "What?"

He looked away from her and said, "I missed you before I even left."

Anko thought _what is he saying? I missed him too, but he missed me BEFORE he left? Oh dear God no. I can't do this. This hurts way too much._

Anko looked at him and said, "I really need a friend right now. But I don't think our "friends with benefits" thing is going to work anymore."

Kakashi looked torn, "Why? Why not?"

"Because I can't bear it if you were suddenly gone from my life."

Kakashi said, "So you're saying, you'd rather be alone than be my friend?"

Anko thought _NO! I want to be WITH you, but if I try, and you get hurt or God forbid – die on me, I'd die from that kind of pain._ She said, "I think you're proof that being alone hurts less than losing someone does." She knew that what she said was cruel and it cut Kakashi deeply, but she had to say it to make her point. She had to tell him in a way he'd understand. From the look on his face, he understood completely.

"Is that really what you want?"

Her thoughts screamed _NO! NO! NO! NO, _but her mouth said, "Yes. I think it's best."

Kakashi was silent. Then he got out of bed and looked around the room for his things. He gathered up his sweats and tank top, his mask and the remains of his uniform. He was getting ready to leave. He couldn't understand what went so wrong. But he did understand how painful it was to lose someone – he'd lost everyone in his life he'd ever cared about. If he lost her . . .

Anko watched him, as she sat on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, not wanting to believe that he was really leaving. But she'd practically sent him away. He was only doing what she wanted him to do. Then why did she hurt worse than ever? She wanted to stop him, beg him to stay, do whatever it took to make it work between them, so nobody got hurt. Instead, she knew this was the right thing to do to spare her the pain and hurt that she'd have to endure in the future. So she let him go.

Kakashi got his things together and prepared to leave. He stopped and looked at her before he opened the door to let himself out. He said, "I don't care what you say, you're still my friend. Good bye Anko." He walked out the door closing it after him.

Anko put her head on her knees and wept with a hurt she'd never felt before in her life. Their "friendship" was officially over.

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**A/N:** Sometimes in life, things don't end happy. This is a first for me - an unhappy ending. But this is the way this story turned out. There was still hurt to be felt - the hurt of being alone again. But don't worry, there's one more story in this series, and it's called "Deal." It picks up where this one left off. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I'll see you soon!


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